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Leaderboard: Gaming on desktops vs. laptops

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, Culture, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard

I have both a desktop and laptop computer that I use regularly. My desktop is my mainstay; a gaming fortress with loads of power and storage space with a 22" screen. My laptop is the best portable gaming machine that $650 could buy, which was surprisingly quite a lot. While it doesn't have the muscle of my desktop, it will run most everything just fine -- and let me do so while I'm reclining on the couch, in bed, or in line at the DMV (their wifi is awesome).

It strikes me that there's no gold standard when it comes to gaming platforms for MMOs. Excluding mobile and console devices for the moment, I'm vastly curious how many of you prefer to game on a desktop or a laptop. Do you enjoy the extra bang for the buck that desktop machines give you, or is your trusty laptop with its size and portability all the technology you'll ever need?

Let's hash it out on the Leaderboard today: Is it better to go with a gaming desktop or laptop? Vote after the jump and then back up your opinion in the comments!

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Leaderboard: Gaming on desktops vs. laptops originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fan-run EVE competition offers prizes for best wallpaper

Brendan Drain — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, Contests, Wallpapers

EVE Online player Xiphos83 has teamed up with our friends over at Crazykinux's Musing to make an EVE competition that's definitely worth entering. Always on the look-out for a new desktop background, for this competition he wants to see your best attempt at a visually stunning EVE wallpaper. With all the graphical upgrades EVE has received over the years, it's always kept its spot as one of the most visually stunning MMOs out there. It lends itself spectacularly to taking awesome screenshots and making dramatic videos. Entries must be at a minimum resolution of 1280 x 1024 and should fit into either an "Action" or "Scenic" theme. Anything from well-posed snaps of your favourite EVE planet to full-on PvP shots are in with a chance to win.

Entry costs 10 million ISK and the winners will split the entire pot between them, with an additional 175 million ISK contributed by donors. Judging by the number of comments the competition has received so far, there could be a lot of ISK in that prize pot up for grabs. To enter, simply email your screenshot to crazykinux [AT] gmail [DOT] com along with your EVE character's name and wire your entry fee to character "CrazyKinux" in-game. Entries must be in by March 26th and to be in with a chance to win, make sure you read the contest rules.

Fan-run EVE competition offers prizes for best wallpaper originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online system requirements revealed

Kyle Horner — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

It looks like most people won't have a whole lot to worry about when it comes to the system requirements for Star Trek Online, unless of course you couldn't play Champions Online. Actually, that's a pretty good measuring stick in one way, since both games run on the Cryptic engine. Although, there is a useful rule of thumb when considering performance.

The lower your display resolution, the higher your graphics settings. Or in other words, if you're running a laptop and float somewhere between the minimum and recommended specs then it's likely your game will look rather good. Why? Most laptop displays have native resolutions lower than what you'll get on a 21 inch desktop monitor. If you are running a desktop and find yourself wondering what your most important upgrade is when preparing for an upcoming game, the answer is usually a new videocard.

Find the full system requirements after the jump.

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Star Trek Online system requirements revealed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online wallpapers are 75% generic, 25% gorgeous

Samuel Axon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, Wallpapers, Star Trek Online

There's been a dearth of Star Trek Online news or information these past few weeks. We've been upset about it. Cryptic just broke radio science at long last, though: four Star Trek Online wallpapers have been posted at the game site. We've got all of 'em here for you to see, but head over to the official gallery for the full breadth of resolution choices.

One of them is a rare in-game glimpse at a planet surface. It looks gorgeous, although we're suddenly worried about the minimum system requirements. Hopefully those nice lighting and shadow effects will scale back for low-end desktops and notebooks.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Wallpaper Gallery

Star Trek Online wallpapers are 75% generic, 25% gorgeous originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Win an Anarchy Online-themed desktop from Funcom and GameRigs

Samuel Axon — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Contests

It seems to be the year of the Science Fiction MMO-themed desktop PC. A couple months back, CCP and Commodore joined forces to sell us EVE Online enthusiast desktops. This time, GameRigs and Funcom put together the above-pictured Anarchy Online computer, and are giving it away in a sweepstakes.

It looks sexy and all, but we were disappointed to see that the provided system specs are rather vague. It has an "Intel Core 2 processor" and an "NVIDIA GeForce graphics card." Well, that could be anything, but hey, it's free, ain't it? And do you really need a GeForce GTX 280 to run 2001's Anarchy Online? Not so much!

It looks like you don't have to do anything but fill out a form to enter the sweepstakes. You don't even have to be an Anarchy Online subscriber. You do have to be a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec; now that's not fair!), though.

Win an Anarchy Online-themed desktop from Funcom and GameRigs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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